Refrigerator-lining



J. F. BARDUSH.

REFRIGERATOR LINKNGL APPLRCATION FILED A'PR.12, 1920.

1 172,859. Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

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JOHN IE. BARnUsH, OFGRANDRAPIDs, MIoPIIe N, AssIeNoR '10 GRAND RAPIDS REFRIGERATOR ooMPANY, or GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, A ooRPoRATIoN 0P MICHIGAN.

' REFRIGERATOR-LINING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 29,1921.

Application filed April 12, 1920. Serial No. 373,416.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it knownthat-I, JOHN F. BARDUSH, a citizen of the United States of America,residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lie-- frigerator-Linings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as w ll enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same.

. This invention relates to linings for refrigerators, being particularly cgmcerned with a novel construction of refrigerator linheat when porcelain is baked thereon is uniform and even, thereby elimlnatlng any tendency for the welded parts to break loose due to different expansions of the parts. My invention is applicable to the lining shown in the patent to IValter H. Whittier, No. 1,147,288, issued July'20, 1915, though not in any sense restricted thereto.

For an understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a refrigerator lining made in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective new of the bottom member used in making the lining, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged plan showing the front corner of said bottom.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawing.

In the construction of the lining, a plate of sheet metal is used and bent to form a back 1. and sides 2, which adjacent their front edges are bent inwardly toward each other as indicated at 3, thence bent forward I I in parallelism to thesides 2 as indicated at 4,

andthen bent outward substantially parallel to the back as shown at 5. This construction is very similar to that shown in the Whittier patent above noted. The only difference is that at the bottom, and also at the top if desired, the metal is cut away at the front of the two sides 2, substantially on the dotted lines 8, as shown in Fig. 1.

A top 6 and a bottom 7 of sheet metal are used to complete the lining. The bottom is shown in Fig. 2 as a plate of sheet metal which, near its front and at each side has the metal turned up to make a raised form to match the structure of the sides 2 adjacent their front edges, said metal including portions 324 and 5 conforming-to the parts 3, I and 5 on each of the sides 2. The top may be similarly made except that said projecting portions of metal will be in a downward instead of an upward direction.

The top and the bottom are welded to the upper and lower edges of the back and sides 'of the lining. The weld at the upper and lower ends of the formations at the front of sides 2 are at the points indicated by the dotted lines 8, as is evident.

A lining made in the manner described is particularly strong due to the fact that at the upper and lower front corners of the linstrength and rigidity and is not as liable to crack when it is handled at the upper and lower corners at the front of the lining. A welded joint of the type shown is somewhat hard to successfully make and it is liable to break or crack in the handling of thelining,

particularly if the sides of the lining should become distorted at any time in handling with respect to the top and bottom. In addition, the welding must be with an application of intense heat with a consequent eX- pansion of the metal and a shrinking thereof on cooling; and with a perfectly flat bottom and top su'h as used in makingthe lining of the Whittier construction, the top and bottom at the heated points contract unequally with the front formations of the sides, re-

sulting in a weakening of the welded connection, which is accentuated when the lining is later subjected to heating and cooling when the different coatings of porcelain are baked thereon. In the present construction, the integrality of the metal at the corners at the front of the lining obviates any possibility of weakness or breaking or cracking from expansion or contraction.

Refrigerator linings need to be smooth and without checks or cracks, particularly at corners, in order to attain perfect cleanliness. The present invention insures this. The invention has been described as applicable to. both the top and bottom connection to the sides of the lining, though it is of more importance that the bottom should be connected as described than the top, inasmuch as the bottom and the bottom corners are more likely to beoome'contaminated than the top and top corners. My invention is applicable, however, to the connection of either orboth the top and bottom of the lining to the sides thereof. The appended claims define the invention and I consider myself entitled to all forms and modifications falling within the scope thereof.

I claim:

1. A refrigerator lining comprising a back and sides of sheet metal, each of said sides being bent inwardly adjacent its front portion for a short distance, then outwardly parallel to the main portion of the side, and then outwardly substantially parallel to the back of the lining, a top of sheet metal welded to the back and sides of the lining at the upper edges thereof, a bottom of sheet metal formed at each side and adjacent its front with upturned portions shaped to abut against the lower edges of the sides at said front formations thereof, said bottom being welded to the back and sides of the lining at the lower edges thereof, substantially as described.

2. A refrigerator lining a back and sides of sheet metal, said sides being turned forwardly from the back and each of said sides at its front portion being bent inwardly and then outwardly to provide an outer vertical groove at the front of each side, a top and a bottom of sheet metal, said top being formed with downturned portions at each side and adjacent the front thereof, and said bottom being formed with upturned portions at each side and adjacent the front thereof corresponding to the formation of the sides of the lining, said bottom and top being welded to the sides and back of the lining at the lower and upper edges thereof, respectively, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN F. BARDUSH. 

